Rotatable drum for refining metals



Sept. 17, 1957 R. F. GRAEF 2,806,687

ROTATABLE DRUM FOR REFINING METALS Filed Oct. 15, 1954 trite ROTATABLEDRUM non REFiNlNG nmTAts Rndoif F. Graef, Oberhausen, Germany, assignorto Huttenwerk Qberhausen Aktiengeseilschaft, Oberhausen, GermanyApplication October 15, 1954, Serial No. 462,524

Claims priority, application Germany Gctober 26, 1953 3 Claims. (Cl.266-36) heretofore known rotary drums, such mixing is brought about to acertain extent by blowing the refining means upon the 'bath at an acuteangle with regard to the surface thereof, or by introducing the refiningmeans into the bath below the surface of the latter.

It has also been suggested to arrange the axis of the cylinder of therotary furnace at an acute angle to the horizontal axis of rotation ofthe furnace so that with each rotation of the furnace, the contents ofthe furnace are moved to and fro from one end to the other.

The above-mentioned devices have, however, considerable disadvantages.The movement of the bath effected in the direction of the axis of thedrum and brought about by the introduction of the refining means orblast is dependent on one hand on the quantity of the refining means orblast which is variable according to the extent to which the blast hasbeen enriched with oxygen, and on the other hand dependent on thequantity of the gaseous oxidation products being formed. Thus, themovement of the bath in the direction of the axis of the drum is greaterduring the decarburization period than it is during the period in whichthere is no formation of gaseous oxidation products.

Therefore, it is desirable in the individual phases of the refiningprocess additionally to be able to influence the movement of the bath inthe direction of the axis of rotation of the drum. While such additionalinfluencing is possible by arranging the cylinder axis of the drum at anangle with regard to the horizontal axis of rotation, this type of axialbath movement is, however, highly uneconomical. The movement of the bathfrom one end of the drum to the other is efiected by raising the bath atone end so that it flows to the other end. This involves a considerableconsumption of energy which is wasted when in this way the to and fromovement of the bath is stronger than required. On the other hand, avariation of the to and fro movement of the bath in a rotary drum withinclined cylinder axis is possible only by varying the speed ofrotation. The desired speed of rotation of the rotary drum is, however,dependent on factors other than those appropriate for the axial movementof the bath.

The heretofore known rotary drums provided with a horizontal axis ofrotation arranged at an angle to the cylinder axis has the furtherdisadvantages that the angular velocity during the lifting and loweringmovement follows a sine curve, and that the frequency of the lifting andlowering movement is completely dependent on the rotative movement ofthe drum, while the amplitude of the lifting and lowering movementcannot be adjusted.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a rotarydrum for the refining of metals which will overcome the above-mentioneddrawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a rotary drum for therefining of metals in which the axial bath movement will be independentof the rotary movement of the drum.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide arotary drum of the above-mentioned type, which will make it possible toobtain a lifting and lowering movement of at least one end of the axisof rotation of the drum which will be independent of the rotary move-.ment of the drum about the longitudinal axis thereof, while theamplitude and the frequency of the lifting and lowering movement may bevaried independently of each other, and which will also make it possibleto obtain a lifting and lowering movement at a completely lineal angularvelocity.

A still further object of the invention consists in the provision of arotary drum of the type set forth in the preceding paragraph which willavoid any possible dangerous sympathetic or resonant variations of thebath.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in

which Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section through a rotary Generalarrangement The present invention is characterized primarily in that atleast one end of the axis of rotation of the refining drum is adaptedduring the rotative movement of the drum to he lifted or loweredindependently of the rotary movement of the drum.

According to a further development of the invention, the amplitudeand/or the frequency of the lifting or lowering movement is variable.This variability may be brought about by any known means. Thus, forinstance, the lifting and lowering movement may be effected by thepiston of a hydraulic cylinder adapted periodically to receive anddischarge variable quantities of a pressure fluid means so that thestroke of the piston will be variable and the filling and emptying ofthe cylinder may be effected at a slower or faster rate. The amplitudeand the frequency of the lifting and lowering movement may furthermorebe varied by causing an electric motor to effect a lifting and loweringmovement through the intervention of a transmission, the speed ofrotation and direction of rotation of which may be varied independentlyof each other.

Structural arrangement Referring now to the drawing in detail, therotary drum 1 rests on rollers 2 by means of running crowns 3, saidrollers being journaled in a base 4. The drum 1 is provided with atoothed ring 5 adapted to mesh with a corresponding gear of a drivingmotor (not shown in the drawing) which will rotate the rotary drum 1about the longitudinal axis thereof.

One end of the base 4 rests on rocker bearings 6. Pivotally connected tothe other end of the base 4 at 8 is a hinged support in form of athreaded spindle 7. This hinged support meshes with and is guided by anut 9 which is rotatably journalled in a casing 10. The casing 10 in itsturn. is tiltably mounted on a bearing 11. The outer circumference ofthe nut 9 is provided with teeth meshing with a worm 12 of a drivingmotor M, which may be an electric motor. When this motor is actuated,the worm 12 turns the nut 9 so that the hinged support or threadedspindle 7 is screwed out of the nut 9 or screwed into the same, therebylifted or lowering the base 4 together with the drum 1, so that the base4 and, consequently, also the drum carries out a tilting move- PatentedSept. 17, 7

- men-t about the axis of the'rocker bearing 6. By varying the directionof rotation of the driving motor for the worm 12, for instance, byreversing the poles of the electric motonM drivingly connected to worm12,-. the base 4 will be alternately lifted and lowered. The reversingof the .poles of the electric motor M may be effected automatically in amanner known per so by limit switches. To this end, abutments 18 and 21are provided for cooperation with a three pole reversing switch 19 ofany standard construction. The abutments 18 and 21 are connected in anyconvenient manner to the base plate 4 so as to move upwardly anddownwardly therewith. As a result thereof, the element 19a of the polereversing switch 19 is alternately and automatically moved upwardly anddownwardly, thereby alternately reversing the field, and thus thedirection of rotation of motor M. The frequency of the lifting andlowering movement is variable by controlling or adjusting the speed ofrotation of the driving motor in the well known manner by variableresistors 20, while the amplitude of the lifting and lowering movementis controlled by adjusting the abutments 18, 21 which limit the liftingor lowering movement and reversethe poles. The abutments 18 and 21 arefixedly but adjustably mounted on a spindle 22 and rod 23. The spindle22 is held by a holder 24 connected to rod 23 in any convenient manner,e. g. by a screw 25. v

For the'sake of completeness, Fig. 1 also shows a blowing nozzle12'which extends through the drum opening 1a into the metal bath below thelayer of slag thereon. The nozzle 12' is carried by a slide 13 movableand adjustable on a track 14. The track 14 is pivotally connected at'15to a carriage 16. It will thus be seen that the nozzle 12 may be tiltedinto a horizontal position and by means of the carriage 16 can then bewithdrawn from the drum. The tiltability of the track 14 makes itpossible to vary the angle at which the nozzle 12',extends into themetal'bath thereby causing the nozzle to extend more orless into saidmetal bath.

The gaseous oxidation products which form during the refining processare withdrawn through the opening 1b provided in the drum 1. The refinedmetal may be withdrawn from the drum through the discharge passage 17.It is, of course, necessary for discharging the metal from drum 1 thatat the time of desired discharge, the passage 17 is moved into itslowermost position. By turning the drum 1 so that the discharge passage17 is just above the surface of the slag and then slowly rotating thedrum in a direction in which the passage 17 moves to a.lower level, theslag can also be discharged through the passage 17.

The drum' 1 is charged through the opening 1a after the nozzle 12'together with the carriage-16 has been withdrawn from opening 111.

It is, of course, understood that the present invention is,-by no means,limited to the particular construction shown in the drawings, but alsocomprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An arrangement for use in connection with the refining of metals in arotatable reaction chamber, which comprises in combination: a supportingmember arranged for rotatably supporting said reaction chamber, fixedbearing means tiltably supporting one end portion of said supportingmember, lifting .and lowering means operatively connected and linked tothe other end portion of said base member and arranged alternately andcontinuously to lift and lower said other end portion of said basemember while tilting said base member about said fixed bearing means,reversible electric means operatively connected with said lifting andlowering means and operable to actuate the same, and limit switch meansassociabout an axis transverse to the axis of rotation ofsaid rollermeans, lifting and lowering means pivotally connected to and supportingthe other end portion of said base member for selectively alternatelyand continuously tilting said base member about said fixed bearingmeans, motor means operatively connected to said lifting and loweringmeans and operable simultaneously with and independently of the rotativemovement of said roller means, and adjustable means operable by saidbase member for selectively varying the arnplitude of said tiltingmovement of said base member.

3. An arrangement for use in connection with the refining ofmetals in arotatable reaction chamber, which comprises in combination: a basemember, roller means carriedby said base member and arranged forrotative movement for rotatably supporting said reaction chamber, firstbearing means tiltably supporting one end portion of said base member toallow tilting of said base member about an axis transverse to the axisof rotation of said roller means, second bearing means spaced from saidfirst bearing means in longitudinal direction of said base member,casing means pivotally supported by said second bearing means, athreaded spindle linked to the other end portion of said base member, aworm wheel rota.-

tably journalled in said casing and having a hollow indirection ofoperation of said motor means.

References Cited in the tile of this patent 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS2,328,897 Gill Sept. 7, 1943 2,481,699 'Stroman Sept. 13, 1949 2,507,522Heine May 16, 1950 2,610,041 Stahl Sept. 9, 1952 2,660,027, Geyer Nov.24, 1953

